So...
A couple weeks before I left, one of my Thai friends hooked me up with some people who needed some foreigner extras to be in a Japanese movie being filmed partly in Chiang Mai. Thankfully, I'm highly qualified to look like a white guy carrying a bag through an airport in SE Asia.
A couple weeks before I left, one of my Thai friends hooked me up with some people who needed some foreigner extras to be in a Japanese movie being filmed partly in Chiang Mai. Thankfully, I'm highly qualified to look like a white guy carrying a bag through an airport in SE Asia.
This was the star. I don't really know much about the movie. Apparently her character was coming in to Chiang Mai to look for her mother or something. All I know is the poor girl never once smiled when I was there all day. Either she was staying in character or hated her job... one can't be sure. (I know... bad form for putting a fuzzy picture as the first one on the blog. They didn't really like me taking pictures, so this will have to do.)
They had real movie producer stuffs. I was kinda expecting a handheld camcorder or something, but this was a pretty professional production company. They did Rambo 4, Sniper 2, and a few other big movies filmed in Thailand.
Me and another qualified vanilla-face for the camera. She's actually living in Chiang Mai training as a Muay Thai kickboxer. She has a brown belt in kung fu and some other stuff... probably the most ripped girl I've ever met. I tried not to piss her off. :)
Pretty cool little rooftop bar in Chiang Mai. Not sure who's dog that is... maybe the owner.
I decided to take a few shots from the city in Chiang Mai, too. It really is beautiful and it seems like I only really posted when I travelled. It was always like a breath of fresh air whenever I would get back to Chiang Mai.
Chiang Mai is one of the few cities in the world remaining with a well-preserved moat. Of course now, it doesn't really function to fend off Burmese invaders anymore. The fountains are pretty, though, and the remains of the brick city walls are quite amazing. They were constructed in 1296, making them about 3 times older than the USA.
The moat goes around what is now the inner-city. Most of the 'touristy' places are off the streets that go on each side of the moat. During Songkran (the Budhist water festival), they say it gets crazy here.
The red, white, and blue flag is the Thai national flag. The yellow one is the King's flag.
Little Seng Moon. She was the little girl who had an MRSA Staph infenction a couple weeks ago. She almost died, but obviously is feeling better now. Thank you all so much for your prayers for her.
I just thought this place was cool. What can I say... I like trees. I kinda wanted to buy one, but I think it might have put me over the 20 kilo weight limit for my suitcase on the plane. :(
Ah... my apartment. As you can see I made a few little changes to make it more homely. ('Homely'... that word just sounds sad) HomeISH! I guess the main thing I added was my rug. Check it out... It's so much softer than tile.
Tops makes me happy. Tops is the closest grocery store. I'd say I've probably been there sometime between 20 and 7000 times. Look at the two signs next to each other telling their hours. (???)
This is the view from my desk. Very typical. (except for the red wine... which is really expensive in Thailand) Part of Erika's face blocked by the monitor and Lainy sitting on her desk. A many conversations were had in this layout. And countless hours in front of my laptop.
The last Sabbath before I left. My 'default friends' that I can safely say are good friends now. Ben won't for sure be around next year. This makes me sad, but I'm sure we'll still have a good time. Me and two ladies... could be worse. :)That brings us to graduation...
The first-year students playing some Thai pop music. It's incredible to me how much they have improved. Which is to say... I can actually talk to them in English and they understand me!
Teachers, the Sextons, and the grads.
Nora, Fon, and I playing a song written by Jay. "Love is My Life." If I happen to see you soon, ask me about Jay. He's a guy I'll never forget.
Just the teachers and the grads.Then I split on a Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and arrived to L.A. at 7:20 p.m. on the same Thursday. Crazy, eh? I'd never been to L.A. (except the airport) so I stayed a couple days with a friend there to check it out.
Friday I just rode the subway and Metro around all day and saw the city on foot. It's really odd to go from Beverly Hills to Compton five minutes later. Hollywood is a dump. Sorry... no pictures of Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, etc. In my opinion people have seen WAY too many pictures/videos of these places. To me that's the worst, saddest part of Los Angeles.
The next morning Andrew drove me around to see the interesting parts around... Malibu beach, Santa Monica mountains, the Valley, etc.
I really liked it more than I thought I would. The weather was beautiful! The beach and mountains are so close to each other. You can go snow skiing in the morning then go play beach volleyball in the afternoon.
The beaches were actually pretty decent. I thought it was odd that the sand was all nicely groomed unlike the beautiful more natural Gulf Coast beaches. The water was SO cold, too.
My one artsy floral shot from hiking in the mountains. :)So all-in-all for L.A., I liked it! I'd have to brush up on my spanish if I ever wanted to live there, but it's a pretty exciting place to be if you're into outdoors things. If you just like working, then staying home and watching TV, though, stay somewhere else that's cheaper.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Since I've got back, most casual acquaintances that I haven't really kept up with much all ask me pretty much the same thing... "So how was Thailand?!" or "Tell me all about it!" or "So what was it like over there?". I don't really know what to say. I feel like saying, "Well... it was a life-changing experience in so many ways in a place that's completely different from here in almost all aspects... what do you want to hear about?" That seems pretty abrubt and rude, so "Oh, it was a blast... I loved it!" usually comes out or something similiar.
Highlights:
TRAVEL - I got to see 5 different countries in SE Asia. Each one was unique, and I had a great time on every trip. I was always excited to get back to Thailand, though... it strangely began to feel like 'home.'
THE STUDENTS - I was lucky enough to connect on a very personal level with some of the students. A few quit mid-year and left for various reasons. 7 graduated, and it's possible I may never see them again. While this makes me sad, it makes me even happier that they all finished and achieved in a society that can be very discouraging for them at times. I received some highly encouraging emails from some of my students when I left that really made me feel positive about the work I've done there.
THE STAFF/TEACHERS - I didn't know a soul when I landed in Thailand. I've experienced a lot with a small group of people that I now consider close friends. There's been times already in just a couple days being in the States that I want to pick up my phone and share a little funny thought or something with one of them.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH - Nothing makes you learn quicker than having to teach. I often gave sermons and Bible studies in addition to teaching my Bible classes. The constant research and preparation has exponentially increased my knowledge and confidence when discussing Biblical topics with people. It's also made me less hesitant to do so. The primary instructions given from Jesus to His disciples before he left them was to spread the gospel. I haven't done the best job with this in my life, and still aren't. But the last 9 months HAS made an impact in my personal life and goal towards growing in the grace and knowledge of our Savior.
Cultural experiences are fun... there's no doubt about that. And that's what I've focused this blog on often this year because people find it interesting. I've tried to put a hint of religious motivation and encouragement in here from time to time as well. I hope it has encouraged at least one of you to think about things, draw closer to God, or even venture out and do some traveling of your own! :)
I returned home to a nation in a state of unrest that I've never seen before. I avoided CNN.com and mass media news as much as possible while I was gone. I took a head-in-the-sand approach to the recent political developments in the USA that led to a very peaceful 9 months for me. This might not have been the best idea. Now everyone I talk to here is all talking about money and politics. It seems our great nation is truly on the verge of an unprecedented change. It saddens me. I won't get into a political rant because I honestly don't know all of the factors and don't have any input on a plan to make it better. What I do see is what seems to be coming is "more government, more government, more government." Where is all this going? Well I have my ideas based on Biblical prophecies about a 1-world government/economy, but I am definitely no prophet. Please everyone be aware though, and keep close to God in these rough times to come.
I plan to continue this blog next year when I return to Thailand for another year of teaching and missionary work in SE Asia. Over the summer I plan to travel the southeast giving presentations raising money for an orphanage project that I've been involved with. Thank you SO SO much to everyone who's made it possible for me to have this experience over the last year. Thank you also to those who kept in touch with me while I was gone and remembered that I'm your friend. I might have gone insane without ya'll. :) Until next time...
God bless you all,
Nathan Kimmons
Brookhaven, Mississippi
"But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.'" (1 Cor. 2:9 -- Isa 64:4)
